Communication

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There are many stuttering problems for people who stutter. People with an established stutter are aware of the negative effect of repetitions, prolongations, hesitations and blocks on their speech. Their stutter (stammer) may be accompanied by facial tics and uncontrolled body movements. Stuttering can lead to the avoidance of certain activities and to social isolation.

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Pragmatics is the study of the social use of language. It examines how people understand and produce communicative acts in real world situations. Speakers will style shift depending on the context of their talk. The form of utterances can be varied by altering morphology, syntax, vocabulary and phonology. The ability to consciously shift the style of speaking to suit the occasion is important in social contexts. This ability may be reduced in people with communication difficulties.

Morphology studies the internal structure of words and their alteration through the combination of morphemes. A morpheme is the smallest element in a language capable of creating a distinction in meaning. There are bound morphemes (e.g. -s, -ed, -ing) and free morphemes (e.g. go, stop, run).

Syntax refers to the rules that govern how words combine to create meaningful utterances. Morphemes combine to form words, words combine into phrases and phrases combine according to set rules into clauses.

Semantics is the study of the meaning of linguistic tokens such as words, phrases and clauses. It examines which signs are used, how they make reference to things, ideas, emotions, and so on, and how the hearer interprets them.

Brain scanning has been used to demonstrate specialization within language areas in the brain – notably in Broca’s area. Brain scanning of normal brains appears to support the findings of studies of language processing in people with aphasia.

Communication theory seeks to explain the production of information, how this is transmitted, the methods used to deliver it, and how meaning is thereby created and shared. Theories are collections of logical assumptions and rules which predict how a phenomenon will behave. Models are conceptual frameworks that describe the application of a theory to particular cases. These differences are highlighted with reference to Information Theory. Communication theory can be subdivided into: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, organizational and public. An example of each of these subdivisions is provided.